Tesla's Elon Musk tweeted in German that the attack was "extremely dumb," while the company said it would cost several hundred million euros and was unclear when production would resume. Emergency services were called in in the early hours of Tuesday after reports of a burning electricity pylon southeast of Berlin, near the Tesla plant.
The fire was extinguished, but damage to the lines knocked out power to the US carmaker's factory and surrounding villages. After police announced that they were investigating suspected arson, far-left activists from the so-called Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility.
“With our sabotage, we have set ourselves the goal of achieving the biggest possible blackout of the Gigafactory,” the group said in a statement posted on a far-left website, as reported by France24.
As Tesla plans to expand the site, the activists expressed concerns about the plant's environmental impact and the local water supply. According to a report from domestic intelligence services released the same year, an organisation with the same name claimed responsibility for an arson attack on the Tesla plant's power supply in 2021. The most recent attack was extremely disruptive, with over 12,000 workers at the site currently unable to perform their duties.
"We currently have no clear visibility when we can start production again," plant manager Andre Thierig told a press conference, adding that the damages will be in the "high, nine-figure area".
Musk said on X, formerly Twitter, that "these are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals." He also stated that stopping the production of electric vehicles instead of fossil fuel vehicles is "extremely dumb."
These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.
Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024
According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the attack on critical energy infrastructure is a serious criminal offence that cannot be justified. “If a left-wing extremist motive is confirmed, then this will be further proof that the left-wing extremist scene does not shy away from attacks on critical energy infrastructure.”
In January, most production at the site was halted for two weeks due to a shortage of parts caused by shipping delays caused by Yemeni rebel attacks on the Red Sea, a vital trade route. Tesla's German plant began production in 2022 after a two-year approval and construction process fraught with administrative and legal challenges. Tesla plans to expand the site by 170 hectares (420 acres) and increase production to one million vehicles per year to meet Europe's growing demand for electric vehicles and compete with rivals shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.
Tesla's plans have been met with opposition from residents who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month, prompting the company to consider rethinking its plans.
(Inputs from agencies)
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